Kathmandu, February 22:

Participants at an interaction organised here today stressed the need for making abortion services affordable, accessible and safe.

“Abortion services are limited to urban areas and the district headquarters and they, too, are not affordable to the general public,” said Sapana Pradhan Malla.

According to Malla, after the enactment of the Abortion Law, 2002, the number of women who availed the services reached 85,984 till December 2006. “It has even helped control high mortality rate to some extent,” she said.

Advocate Lok Hari Basyal said that a public interest litigation (PIL) on access to abortion service to women has been filed in the Supreme Court today. According to him,

the PIL has demanded that funds be allotted for the poor and needy women. Melissa

Uprety, legal advisor to the Centre for Reproductive Right (CRR), said the government should effectively implement laws related to abortion services.

Baburam Regmi, joint secretary, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said coordination between ministries could help formulate and implement policies.